Instructional Session: ISW1

Wednesday 4 July 2018, 16.45-17.45

Laryngeal trauma – external and endolaryngeal impact and its management

Speaker:
Sandu Kishore, Lausanne University Hospital, Switzerland

The larynx may be affected to various degrees in patients with road traffic accident, endotracheal intubation and following ingestion of caustic products. Various types of contact sport, modern day crime and armed combats have multiplied several times these injuries – affecting both children and adults. The immediate treatment of the airway in these cases is critical to prevent long term debilitating consequences. In others, established sequelae of upper airway injury will require specialised treatment. There is an urgent need for improved medical knowledge about such laryngeal injuries among treating intensive care unit doctors and personnel managing acute medico-surgical emergencies. Though such a protocol managing the laryngotracheal airway has been established, it needs to be better structured.

The instructional course will include discussing various endolaryngeal injuries encountered in patients with external neck trauma and endotracheal intubations. Precise endoscopic evaluation is key in understanding the 3-dimensional damage that will then require immediate treatment. In these injuries every minute counts and must be considered similar to an open compound limb injury necessitating meticulous treatment guidelines. Caustic injuries are rare and present with complex airway mucosal injury. Basic and long term management of these cases will be discussed. In-depth knowledge of these injuries will help the participants avoid severe handicap in their patients.